to all of you pro programmers out there.
Brennan Young
>
> I agree with scott, c/c++ would be preferrable, especially if you are
> looking in this type of field. most languages are based off of c++
> anyways. If you know c++ you can figure just about anything out with no
> problem. Like scott said you could also find a java class. java may be a bit
> harder to understand though for some, so i'd take c++ if at all possible and
> you'd be good to go! if you just want to understand more lingo and such
> even a C class would be fine.
What??????
I think C++ is *much* harder than java, not least because it is platform
specific, has no automatic memory management, does not encourage good
design (in fact it allows all manner of programming horrors) and has low
level features which are dangerous to all but the most aware and
knowledgeable.
C is most useful for low level and high performance stuff like hardwre
drivers and 3d engines. It's overkill for the average job. It's also
platform specific.
Most languages are *not* based on C++. C++ is a complicated mess. It's C
with object oriented features bolted on as an afterthought and no-one in
their right mind would want to base another language on it.
If we're talking procedural languages (like C or Pascal), the
'grandfather' is algol.
Algol is obsolete.
If we're talking object oriented languages, (like Java) the
'grandfather' is Smalltalk.
This is the most rigorous OO language.
If we're talking functional and interpreted languages, the 'grandfather'
is LISP.
LISP is unrivalled for runtime manipulation of symbols in arbitrarily
complex systems such as in artificial intelligence. Many scripting
languages - including Lingo - have strong connections with LISP. *MANY*
authoring tools have been written in LISP, probably more than C++.
Java *is* based on C++, but it's C++ with all the dangerous and
complicated stuff removed. I would advise all beginners to choose Java
over C++, or better still an interpreted OO language like Lingo,
Applescript or Python.
--
_____________
Brennan Young
Artist, Composer and Multimedia programmer
mailto:bre...@young.net
"Now that we live in an electronic environment of information coded not
just in visual but in other sensory modes, it's natural that we now have
new perceptions that destroy the monopoly and priority of visual space,
making this older space look as bizarre as a coat of arms over the door
of a chemistry lab."
-Marshall McLuhan